Finally, I said to myself: "Sultan, consider
that you are the child of an hour and the world is fleeting.
When you die, your country and your inheritance will be of
no benefit to you; nor will your family and friends be of
help to you. All these belong to this world alone. Nothing
but your faith can go beyond the grave. Therefore, it is
not wise to forsake eternal life and spiritual happiness
for the sake of this transitory life." Then I bowed my knees
before God and offered this prayer: "O omnipotent, eternal
God, Searcher of hearts, I yield myself to Thee. Accept
this offering and protect me from all the snares of the
devil and from spiritual dangers. Remove from my heart the
world and its desires. Grant me courage and strength that
I may be able to confess Thine only Son Jesus Christ publicly
before all men. Hear and accept my prayer for the sake of
Jesus Christ. Amen."

Sultan Muhammad P. Khan

I Discovered That God Is Not Dead

I had been reading Nietzsche, Camus, and Sartre for months.
Even before that, I had entertained doubts about the value
and meaning of life, but by immersing myself in the pessimistic
philosophies of these men I became convinced that there was
no reason for living. My discouragement with life had turned
into bitter despair.

The one unshakable impression such philosophers left with me
was that God is dead. For them he was dead, and for me he was
dead. There was nothing that justified my existence - nothing
for which I could live.

The path that led to this despair had its beginnings in my early
childhood. I was born in 1951 in a town whose compass pointed in
the direction of the nearby city of Algiers, a place that held
a special fascination for me because it was alluringly tinged
with European sophistication and glamour. The fact that I was
a girl did not hinder my parents from giving me the best education
they could afford. I began in a Quranic school where I learned
many portions of the Surahs by heart. I wee also taught the forms
and techniques of ritual prayers.

As far back as I can remember, I had a deep desire to know God.
From a window of my house I could see the minaret and I often
thought about God and wondered if I could know him personally.
I wanted to talk to God directly and not limit myself to the
prescribed prayers. Of course, I was expected to recite my
prayers according to Islamic stipulation, but there was
something about them that left me deeply dissatiafied.
Consequently, I began to grow lax in complying with the
requirements of the formal prayers. Nevertheless, I continued
to observe the fast of Ramadan - primarily because of social
pressure and the fear it induced.

My growing indifference to Islamic practices was undoubtedly
encouraged by my father's religious skepticism. Although he was
from a Muslim family, he regarded himself as a freethinker. That
was difficult for me to understand then, but as I grew older
I began to realize that he was only one of a host of skeptics
who veiled their doubts under a cloak of external conformity
to traditional Islamic practices and customs. My own belief in
Islam was severely tested by the empty formality and unconcealed
hypocrisy I witnessed in virtually every aspect of its social
and institutional life. I finally came to the place where I cried
out to God, "If you exist, show yourself to me; prove yourself."
There was no reply. There was only silence.

When I had my first contact with the teaching of the Bible I was
only ten years of age. A friend of mine invited me to a meeting
where a Christian woman showed Biblical and historical films and
had sewing classes for the young girls in our neighborhood. She
also lent the girls books about the Christian faith. The first
time I went to her house I found that a film was being shown on
the life of Abraham. This made me very happy and I continued to
go to her house for a number of weeks.

I also borrowed some books from the woman's library. Some of the
books were about the life of Jesus and the prophets. One day I
was reading one of the books as I was walking toward my house,
and as I was not paying much attention to where I was going, an
automobile ran into me and sent me sprawling on the street. But
to my surprise, I found that I was not seriously injured. Little
did I realize then, however, that this accident would have
far-reaching consequencs.

Some of the people who saw the accident reported it to my parents.
And they also told them about the book that I had been reading.
They had seen the book lying next to me in the street. When I
returned home, my father was waiting for me. I could see that
he was very angry. He told me that I could no longer go to see
that Christian woman.

I accepted the new restriction without too much complaining, for
the time that I had spent with the Christian woman and girls did
not mean very much to me anyway. I had learned some Christian
hymns, but whenever I came to the name of Jesus I substituted
the name of Muhammad. I thought that Jesua was good and that he
was a prophet, but he really meant nothing to me. Also I had
been warned by my friends to be careful to withstand the Christian
woman's influence and especially to avoid singing about Jesus.
So I went there with the determination to cling to Islam and
not to change my religion. After the accident, however, and the
resultant warning from my father, I had no contact with Christians
for the next seven years.

I had a renewed interest in trying to live as a Muslim until
I was about thirteen years of age. But then a great tragedy
occurred in my life. My father killed my mother and he was sent
to prison for a year. This left me in a terrible state of shock.
I had no desire to see my father again. My mind was deeply
troubled over the nature of God. After that incident I began to
wonder if God was truly loving.

I had heard from the Christian woman that God is love and I had
also read that in some of the books that she let me read. But I
couldn't believe that he would have allowed my mother to die if
he was a God of love. And if he was not a God of love, I didn't
want him. So I began to ignore every thought about God and
religion. At least, I tried to ignore such thoughts. I was going
through a time of great struggle, however, because I found it
difficult to believe in the goodness of God, and yet I could
not entirely let go of my thoughts about him.

My relatives sent me to a boarding school shortly after my mother
died. I was glad that I would not have to live with my father
after he was released from prison. It was during those years at
the boarding school that I began to read philosophy and to fall
under the spell of Nietzsche, Camus, and Sartre. I felt that
living was pointless and I had no motivation to strive for any
goal in life.

During the vacation periods from school I stayed with my aunt.
She told me that my father had become very ill and it seemed that
he was going to die. She too had become sick. She called me to
her room one day and told me that it was time for me to consider
marriage. She had a friend who was a policeman and she insisted
that I marry him. I surrendered to her insistence and agreed to
marry him. In any case, it seemed that I had no choice, for she
had convinced me that this would be the only way my younger
brothers would be cared for in the event of my father's death.

When my father heard about my decision, he said that he did not
want me to marry until I had completed secondary school. Although
I had become engaged to the policeman, I knew that he didn't
love me. I didn't know at that time whether I could actually go
through with the marriage.

As I drew near to the end of my secondary school training, I became
more and more convinced that I should not marry that man. He was
a nice person and he said he would take care of my younger brothers,
but I realized that I had no desire to marry him. It seemed to me
that the only way I could prevent it was by failing in one of my
final exams so that I wouldn't get my diploma. After all, I reasoned,
this was my father's requirement, and by postponing my graduation
I would escape marriage - at least for a little while longer.

So during one of my final exams, I simply walked out of the room
without completing it although I knew the subject well. My teacher
was amazed at my behavior, for he knew that I could pass the exam
without any great difficulty. My father and aunt were extremely
upset when they found out what I did.

Before I left the boarding school, I happened to run into the
Christian woman I knew when I was ten years of age. She was with
some of my classmates in the school corridor, and I recognized her
immediately although she did not recognize me. When I greeted her,
however, she remembered who I was. She saw that I was unhappy and
she wanted to help me. So we set a time to meet on the following
Saturday to discuss my problems. Not only did she try to give me
some encouragement, she also invited me to spend three weeks at
a camp on the Mediterranean seashore. This was to be a Christian
camp for young people, and she said I would hear about Jesus there.
With contempt I replied, "Your Jesus - what do I have to do with
him ?" But I decided to go because I wanted three weeks away from
my family. I told the Christian woman that I had no other interest
in going. Nevertheless, she agreed to let me go.

When I arrived at the camp, I found that the group had prayer every
night before they went to sleep, and every day a preacher was
scheduled to give a talk on the Bible. I rebelled because I found
it almost intolerable. I particularly did not like the Christian
teaching that everyone is a sinner.* I did not think that I had
done anything evil and I certainly did not think that I was a
sinner who needed to repent. The very idea upset me and made me
furious. With nothing but bitterness in my heart I left the first
meeting and returned to the dormitory. I was appalled to hear
the other girls mocking the Christian leaders that evening. They
returned to their rooms saying, "These Christians think that we
are believers too, but we only come here for the fun."

Their attitude bothered me deeply, because I had been honest and
frank about my feelings. I had openly told the Christian leaders
that I did not want to have anything to do with the Christian
faith. I felt that the girls in my dormitory were being very
hypocritical in covering up their true motives. I was so upset
by what I was hearing in the meetings and by what I was hearing
in the dormitory that I decided I couldn't stay another day. So
that night I tried to run away from the camp. As I was climbing
over the wall surrounding the camp, the director happened to see
me. She came and took me to the infirmary and I began to weep.

When the Christian leaders gathered around me, they asked me why
I was trying to leave the camp. I blurted out that I didn't want
anything of their Jesus. At that point, I saw how kind they really
were, for they showed great patience and understanding. As we
talked, they asked me if I believed in God. I knew that all of
my efforts to resist God did not avail to eliminate him from my
thoughts, so I nodded agreement. Then they asked me if I was
earnestly seeking for God. I answered them in the affirmative,
but I also told them that it was difficult for me to believe in
him because he didn't answer my prayers. Then they asked me if
I was sincerely seeking the truth, and I replied, "Yes." They
responded with the assertion that Jesus Christ is the truth.
I said, "This may be the case for you, but I have never learned
that - it is not for me."

They explained that Christ had come for everyone - not just for
Christians - and that since he is the truth, to reject him is to
fall into the greatest of all errors.

At that point I became concerned about my relationship to God
and I asked them what I must do. They urged me to talk directly
to God and ask him if Christ is really the truth. They said that
I should ask God to show me his reality. By then I had recovered
my composure and I was sitting there in quiet reflection. They
did not put any pressure on me but simply took me back to the
dormitory.

I talked to one of my friends in the dormitory and I told her that
I would like to talk to God but didn't know how. I asked her what
language I should use in speaking to God. In Islam the only language
to be used in prayer is Arabic. I didn't know if the God of Jesus
would listen to me if I prayed in Arabic, so I prayed half in
French and half in Arabic and I said, "We will see if he understands."

I now know that such a notion was foolish. I was not only ignorant
of God's wisdom but I was also unaware of his love and personal
care. The next day held a wonderful surprise for me. The Christian
leaders said that I did not have to go to the meetings. However,
I had prayed that Christ would show himself to me in reality and
power, so when I heard the group singing in a joyful way I decided
to attend the meeting.

The Christian woman who spoke in the meeting told us about the
love of Christ and the forgiveness he came to bring. It seemed
that every word she said was just for me. When she explained
that Christ died on the cross for our sins and rose from the
dead, I began to understand what it meant for me to be a sinner
and for God to be a God of righteousness* and love. I realized
that there was nothing I could do to make myself acceptable to
God, for there was no way I could redeem myself. Somehow I saw
that God is love in the sacrificial death of Christ on the
cross. This was what I was looking for, and when I realized
that this was the truth and believed in such a loving Savior,
I felt a great burden roll off of me. I no longer had the sense
of guilt and despair that I had felt in my heart for many years.
The relief and joy were written all over my face. This was a
great miracle to me, because I never thought that I could be
converted to Christ. A friend of mine was also converted in
that meeting, and my other friends were all amazed at what had
happened to us.

Although I now believed in Jesus as Savior and Lord, I did not
know what lay ahead for me. All kinds of new questions came to my
mind. And when another woman spoke to us at the camp, many doubts
were kindled in my mind. She told how she had been a practicing
Muslim for a long time and how only in Christ did the living God
come into her life. After she told how she came to trust in Christ,
I went to her and asked, "Do you really know the Quranic verses
by heart? If so, recite them to me." I was amazed when I found
that she knew them far better than I did. I also asked her many
questions, and she was not only very kind in her manner but also
very reasonable and knowledgeable in her answers. My faith in
Christ was greatly strengthened.

I now had the assurance that God would hear and answer my prayers.
I asked God to do something about my impending marriage to the
policeman. Without my attempts to prevent it, God caused the
policeman to dissolve the engagement and stop the plans for the
wedding.

Another serious problem was the reaction of my father and aunt
to my faith in Christ. At first they were very angry, but when
they saw that my life had been changed for the better, their
attitude was changed from hostility to acceptance.

What changes did Christ bring into my life? He brought assurance
and confidence in the place of the doubt and uncertainty that
had previously plagued me. I had personally witnessed my mother's
murder and after that I was continually tormented by fear. But
Christ removed my fear and gave me courage and peace. He also
took away my confusion about the meaning of life and my anxiety
about death.

Furthermore, after my mother's death, I withdrew from others and
shielded myself from anything that could hurt me. I was once aloof
from other people, but Christ gave me a genuine love for others
and a desire to be with them and help them. Whereas I was formerly
impatient and unkind with my younger brothers, I now have an
entirely new relationship with them. Christ has given me a patience
and gentleness that I never dreamed I would experience.

Before I put my trust in Christ I would tell lies whenever I felt
it was to my advantage. In my home and in my society it is natural
to tell lies and to invoke the name of God in the act. I became
aware of this and other evils around me, and I knew that as a believer
in Christ I could not condone or practice these things. Since Christ
is with me, I can now tell the truth without fearing the consequences.
Moreover, studying at the university put me in a very immoral
atmosphere, but with the presence and power of Christ in my life
I am enabled to escape this corruption without feeling the pride
and self-righteousness that come from assuming that one can do this
in his own wisdom and strength.

One of my severest tests came when I returned to the boarding school
prior to enrollment in the university. I was having a difficult time
trying to see if the Bible and the Quran were compatible. When the
month of Ramadan came, I yielded to the pressure of my peers and
for fifteen days I observed the fast. But then I realized how
hypocritical it was for me to maintain that I was a true believer
in Christ in front of Christians but not in front of Muslims, so
I quit fasting and took a firm stand for Christ. The isolation and
persecution I suffered as a result were not easy to bear, but I
learned much of the Lord's sustaining grace during those days.

What have I found in Christ that I did not find in Islam? The main
thing is that God is a God of love, and he has proved his love by
giving himself to us in Christ who died for us and rose triumphant
from death. There is also the great discovery that I did not have
to try to earn my salvation by my efforts or works. It is free, and
there is no place for merit. In trusting my life to Christ for time
and eternity, I found that there is a unique relationship between
God and the believer - a personal relationship of love and fellowship
that brings the highest furfillment and meaning to life.

I was once attracted to the views of Karl Marx because of his
interest in humanity. I came to realize, however, that without
changing the heart of man, human beings would not serve others
unselfishly. Many people give only lip service to the ideal of
working for the good of others, but Christ transforms a person so
that he has the love and care that makes a difference in the way
he lives and relates to others. Improving man's external conditions
cannot, by itself, change man.

The decisive difference between the Christian faith and all ideologies
and religions is the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, for he alone
is the Savior - God's one remedy for all human beings. These words
from the Bible have become a reality in my daily life: "Cast your
burden upon the Lord, and he will sustain you" (Psalm 55:22).
I have had this proved in my experience again and again, and I can
truthfully say: God is not dead but gloriously alive!

The second reading of the gospel produced in
me the deep conviction that it was THE true "Injil." It
was God's word and His Revelation. The inner urge to know
God was to find satisfaction through it. The effect produced
on the mind by its reading was so very different from that
of the recitation of the Quran. The latter in its original
language was something sublime, its recitation was charming,
its eloquence fascinating, and sometimes its passages had
thrown me into ecstasy, but in the "Injil" I found something
which spoke to my soul. The gospel spoke to me in my own
mother tongue, whispering to me the secrets of God. Its
reading was comforting to my soul, every sentence touched
it to its very depths, and it roused the slumbering faculties
of my soul to a new state of conciousness.